


Tender Touch

by MusicalLuna



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Cereal, Explicit Language, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Pre-Relationship, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-26
Updated: 2015-08-26
Packaged: 2018-10-15 07:54:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10552778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicalLuna/pseuds/MusicalLuna
Summary: Darcy is a little bit injury-prone.Especially when a certain Soldier sneaks up on her.





	

Darcy is trying to go through the cupboard quietly when she fumbles a box of Froot Loops and knocks a precariously stacked box of Pop-Tarts and causes an avalanche. One of the Pop-Tarts boxes smacks her in the forehead and she yelps, whining as she backs away from the mess, clutching at the stinging spot with her hands.

“Need a hand?” a low voice asks and she startles, whacking her hand on the counter.

“FUCK!” she yelps and clutches it to her chest, every bone in her hand aching.

“Shit, sorry,” Barnes says, his dark eyes growing wide behind the fringe of his bangs. He takes a hesitant step forward and then stops.  “Are you okay?”

“Yep,” she says and bends forward, resting her forehead on the counter.  The initial sting is starting to fade, but there’s a low deep ache settling in.

“I’m sorry,” Barnes says, shifting uncertainly from foot to foot. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

She flaps a hand at him as she straightens up. “Dude, don’t worry about it. I’m injury-prone it’s NBD.”

Barnes’ brow furrows. Then he squints. “No big deal?”

Darcy grins at him and gingerly flexes her hand, wincing when that sends a stab of pain up the back of it.  “You got it. You’re picking up slang fast.”

Barnes smiles a little shyly. Then his eyes drop down to her hand and he points at it with his own fleshy hand. “Mind if I look?”

Darcy shakes her head. “Go for it.”

He steps closer and Darcy swallows a little. He’s kind of, um. Wow. Up close.

His hands are extraordinarily gentle as they curl around hers, the metal one in particular sliding under her palm so lightly it barely grazes her skin and she shivers. He turns her hand carefully, inspecting it and runs the pad of his human thumb over the angry red mark on the back of it.

A blush licks at the backs of Darcy’s ears.

“Might bruise a little,” Barnes says quietly, “but it isn’t swelling.” He starts to pull away and she catches his hand, getting a little thrill from the way his head jerks back a little, his eyes widening again. She threads her fingers more firmly with his and smiles.

“Thanks,” she says softly and watches the way his throat works.

“You’re welcome.”


End file.
